MANY staff employed in the health and social care sector are plugging funding gaps from their own pockets. Of course, this problem is not restricted to the NHS, it has been happening across the public services for some time. Teachers, for example, will have recently been on their annual shopping trips to equip their classrooms for the new school year, purchasing such essentials as books, stationery and other vital learning resources. This has almost become an accepted normality for the teaching profession. It should not be.

The British Dietetic Association has gathered evidence from members which shows that this is sadly now the case for their profession. A high percentage of members are paying for basic stationery and equipment such as fridges, weighing scales and essential reference books. The vast majority of dietitians are funding their own professional development which is an essential requirement of retaining their professional registration. In some tragic instances our members have felt it necessary to buy food and other essential items for vulnerable patients. 

We have received reports of staff buying resources for their hospital departments such as changing mats, spare clothes and nappies for children. They have purchased baby formula for mums who cannot breastfeed and have no access to funding. This is not acceptable in any society, especially in one of the richest in the world.